Playa del Rey >> Vandals may have driven a commercial truck into pipes at a natural gas storage facility in Playa Del Rey early Monday, causing a loud hissing noise and a release of gas that had to be shut off, a gas company spokeswoman said.

The incident began at 12:30 a.m. at the storage facility in the 7800 block of Veragua Drive, in the open fields east of Playa del Rey. The Southern California Gas Co. maintains a large underground natural gas storage facility there.

A bomb squad was brought in to determine whether any other wells were tampered with, while gas to the affected well remains shut off, said Officer Wendy Reyes of the Los Angeles Police Department.

When a truck was driven onto the storage well, it damaged a structure above ground, causing gas to escape, said Southern California Gas spokeswoman Trisha Muse.

“The loud hissing sound was alarming for residents in the area,” she said. There were no injuries and the gas was turned off, rendering the area safe at 3:50 a.m.

Evacuations were not necessary.

Los Angeles police were investigating the incident with assistance from the FBI.

“As a precaution, the bureau routinely responds to potential threats to facilities that would be considered critical to infrastructure,’’ said the FBI’s Laura Eimiller.

Authorities initially said they believed the vehicle belonged to the gas company, but it’s actually owned by a contractor, Gas Co. spokeswoman Angela Fentiman said.

It’s not clear if the vehicle was already at the storage facility before it ended up on the gas well, Reyes said.